


Peter's Gift for MJ

by catchthesemittens



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Bad Flirting, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Peter Parker Feels, Peter Parker is a Mess, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Pre-Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie), Teen Romance, Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 07:56:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19884235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catchthesemittens/pseuds/catchthesemittens
Summary: Pre-Far From Home, Peter is trying to find the perfect gift for MJ to fit his plan. So, he drags Ned to scope out where MJ works to get some ideas.





	Peter's Gift for MJ

I really need to come up with a better name than The Prickle. That’s my first thought after the weird feeling I get lets me know there’s a crap load of people inside this bookstore. Aunt May and Ned have chimed in with their own ideas for a name, but mine is just too embarrassing to even share with them. 

Ned and I walk inside and roam for fifteen minutes before I even tell him why we’re here in the first place. I keep dodging his questions and floating aimlessly throughout the rows and rows of comics, teen fiction, and now health books. With that last one, Ned seems to realize that I’m not necessarily looking for a book at the moment. I mean I am, but not for me. His continuous complaining comes to a halt when he buries his nose in a book at the same moment that I see her. The obscenely long line she was helping when we came in has now paid and left, so MJ is looking at a book on the far side of the store. 

This could be exactly what I need.

You see, I realized I had this massive crush on her right around the same time that a giant grape man killed half of the universe, yours truly included in that. Upon realizing I had literally been dead for five years, which is still incredibly strange to say, I also found myself hoping that MJ had been blipped too. I know that sounds awful and extremely selfish, but I couldn’t help it. She’s kind of amazing.

I look over to see that Ned has his nose buried in an actual book for what might be the first time in his entire life. I’m about to notice the title when he looks up and follows my eye line. 

“Peter. You have to be joking.” Ned says as he sees MJ who has now walked away from her book and is back behind the cash register.

“What do you mean?” I ask and my voice completely fails me, raising about fifteen octaves and making me sound like a six-year-old.

“MJ. She’s the cashier. And you’re here to what? Stalk her? Get her number? Peter, we’re all in a Decathlon group chat, you already have it!” Ned’s voice gets louder and louder as he talks causing a panic to rise through me as I desperately try to shush him and cover his mouth. He shoves me back in retaliation causing almost an entire row of books to fall off of the shelf and I feel a part of me almost die.

“Ned, please you’re going to ruin all of this! I’m not here to stalk MJ, I’m just trying to figure out what she likes so I can get her something for our trip.” I’m trying to keep my voice at a whisper while picking up books as Ned just kind of stares. I’ve mentioned liking MJ and wanting to get her something special before, but I honestly don’t think Ned is listening to me unless I’m talking about being Spider-Man or video games. “I just really like her, but I don’t want to get her something only for her to tell me that a 17th century genocidal slaveowner wrote it. She’s so smart dude, and she’ll see right through me if it isn’t perfect.”

“Who‘s going see right through you?” A voice says behind me, scaring me so bad that I jump and drop all of the books in my hand. Stupid Prickle, you’re supposed to warn me about this shit. Then I recognize the voice and shoot up to my feet instantly, trying to pick up books on my way but only ending up with one. Standing right in front of me is none other than MJ.

“Uh, nothing!” I almost yell. “No one is going to see through me, I’m a solid mass.” 

Greaaaaat Peter, nice one. File that under things you’re going to remember at 2 am and cry about.

“What Peter means is that he’s trying to find the perfect gift for his Aunt. Her birthday is coming up.” Ned says coming in with an absolutely perfect save, per usual.

“That’s right! I have to find the perfect gift for her…special day.” My voice cracks yet again and I realize how strange special day sounds. Kill me.

“Cool, cool. Well, what do you have there?” MJ asks, eyes glancing to the book in my hand. I casually lift the book I’m holding to show the class and it’s a Kamasutra.

Listen, Thor is a god which means he can technically just smite me and take me out of my misery right?

I drop the book so fast and have the quickest thought to just jump to the ceiling and get out of here as fast as possible. Not even Ned can save me from this one and he’s giggling uncontrollably. Now I know why he actually had his nose buried in a book for once in his life.

“You know actually the Kamasutra is one of the most pirated books in the English language. So, you could probably just find that one online for free,” MJ says, and I actually feel myself lose five years off of my life.

“Oh. Um. I’m not getting this, it’s a total accident.” I say picking the book back up and placing it on the shelf with the last of the others that fell. 

“I don’t think May would appreciate that one too much anyway,” Ned says behind me.

“Well, is there anything I can help you with?” MJ says earnestly which catches me off guard and she’s looking right at me as if we’re the only two in the entire store. I just stare back at her for what likely becomes way too long. My face has contorted into something that Ned will tell me later can only be described as “actual enormous heart eyes”. He notices and he pulls me away saying, “No thanks, we’ve got it from here.” I swear though for a second, she has the same look on her face.

Once we’re a few rows over I start to regain my ability to breathe. I don’t know what it is about her that’s made me so nervous recently, but the feeling just hit me one day and I haven’t been able to shake it. I think it might be that I realized she never tries to be something she’s not. Being a nerd, being weird, these things aren’t negatives to her. She’s honest and so completely herself, and it makes me want to be honest too. I wish I could tell her everything. Spider-Man, the Avengers, Tony, all of it. Hell, I wish I could even talk to her without nearly fainting, but maybe we’ll get there one day. 

“That was smooth back there. I don’t think you screwed that up one bit,” Ned says. 

“Oh, like you could’ve done any better,” I reply.

“Buddy, you’re looking at the master.”

“You’ve never even had a girlfriend.”

“And?”

“You’ve never even gone on a date.”

“None of that matters cause I’m waiting for the right woman.”

“Sure Ned, sure.” He’s so ridiculously confident and I’m honestly a little jealous of it.

“Besides, you should be throwing out the big bucks for this gift.”

“Ned, it doesn’t matter how much money I spend so long as it’s a meaningful gift that she appreciates.”

“Who doesn’t appreciate money?” Ned says as I suddenly remember the book she was looking at and I’m on my way across the store to find it. This could be the jackpot. That is until I see the cover, ‘Sarcasm for Dummies,’ which is definitely not something that MJ has any need for. Shit. Back to square one, I guess.

I catch MJ glancing over at me from the front of the store. I swear, there are these moments when I think she might be looking at me, but I can’t tell if it’s me being stupidly hopeful or just being a complete idiot. Probably the latter and either way I’m a dumbass. That said, I don’t want to leave without saying goodbye and now is a perfect chance. I grab a candy bar and head to her register, telling Ned to wait for me outside.

“No luck finding anything for your Aunt?” She asks as I walk up. I can do this. I can freaking do this. Just don’t be weird. 

“Nope, apparently not. She’s definitely hard to shop for,” I say with a little laugh that makes everything so incredibly awkward. There’s a beat of silence where we just kind of look at each other. Then I realize she’s waiting for me to pay, so I hand her a couple bucks.

“You can keep the change,” I say, thinking that it sounds really smooth in my head but in reality, makes it sound like I think she needs the seven cents that are leftover.

But she doesn’t take it that way. “Oh, sweet. Thanks,” she says, and I turn to walk towards the door.

I start to say bye, but she interrupts me. “Hey, if you need any help trying to find anything for her. Maybe let me know? You could text me, if you want to. I mean, not that you have to or anything.” There’s another pause. “I just know a lot about books I guess.” And she does a little laugh. “Forget I said anything.”

“Actually, I think I’ll take you up on that,” I reply and somehow for the first time today manage to say what might be the right thing. She smiles and hands me my receipt.

We say our goodbyes and I turn to leave the store. Once I’m out, I realize what she said. Did she just tell me to text her? I mean it sounded like she did, she literally said it. Maybe I can only text her for just that and not in general, but also, she could want me to text her out of the blue? I don’t even know; this whole crush thing makes everything so much harder to interpret.

I meet up with Ned and we start the long walk back to my place. He wants to show me his design for a new suit addition so I can eat while I’m swinging.

“I just think it’s a genius idea and I can’t believe Stark didn’t think of it!” He says and continues with his ridiculous plan that certainly won’t work. I let him keep talking even though I’m not fully paying attention. I’ve still got to think of something I can get MJ before we go on this Europe trip, but maybe I’m thinking too small here. It should be meaningful and if I can find a way to tie it into my plan, it’ll be special. It’s starting to seem like MJ might have feelings for me too, and maybe I can make this whole thing work after all. 

I set a mental reminder to check our travel destinations for any significant gift ideas I could find and tune back into Ned’s voice.


End file.
